Come 2008, calling a midsize, front-wheel-drive coupe won't immediately call your aesthetic sensibilities into question. In their efforts to attract younger, cooler buyers, manufacturers are putting an unusual amount of effort into making these ordinarily conservative cars look good. In LA, it was the Nissan Altima coupe, and today in Detroit, it was all about the Honda Accord Coupe Concept. "This is an accurate representation of the what the next Accord coupe will look like," John Mendel, Honda's senior vice president of automotive operations, told the audience at Cobo.
And to us, the Accord coupe concept looks like a BMW 3 Series coupe in profile, an authoritative combination of Audi and BMW in front, and from the back, sort of a Bentley Continental GT. Mostly German, then, and a refreshing follow-up to the shapeless form of the current Accord.
Once again, Honda is promising an engaging driving experience, but based on our experience with the current Civic, we're optimistic. "It's really tuned for an exhilarating driving experience, and that's what younger people are looking for," said Chris Martin, Honda spokesman. The quad exhaust outlets on the concept car hint at the more powerful V6 the car is slated to get, while a more advanced version of Honda's variable cylinder management (VCM) technology will keep fuel consumption in check.
The tires on the concept car are Bridgestone Potenzas sized an encouraging 245/40R19. We're expecting those to go down to 18s on the production Accord coupe.
So why show a coupe version of the Accord when the sedan is the better seller? "The coupe market is expected to grow as much as 34% between now and 2011," said Mendel. "[Also] only 12% of Accord sedan buyers are under 30, but 39% of Accord coupe buyers are.
Ah, as always, younger is better. The redesigned Honda Accord goes on sale this fall. --Erin Riches
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looks better than current model, but way too similar to tC with that boxy front. cant really say it looks better than G6 or Altima coupe.
Are those Xenon headlights? Hmmm.
The last accord coupe was a great value, so this one could be too.
As for the back, I never would have guessed Mitsubishi Galant was so far ahead of the design curve, lol!
The front end is very bland to me, I dont like it. the car is a mixtire of Scion and 3 series coupe which isnt a great thing if you ask me. THe front overhang is also rather large, maybe thats because the wheelbase is so short.
Yeah, less bland than the current coupe, but not exactly knocking me out of my seat. Maybe I'll like it better when I see it next week.
I think the accord coupe is much better looking then the altima coupe. I will be buying one if it looks as well as the concept shown here.
It does look like a 3 series, as well as an audi. Whats not to like? affordable luxury !
looks handsome. i wonder how much power it'll have. FWD with a high powered V6? I'm thinking major torque steer!
I think it looks great, but i can see where they will shave off some of the design ques. (i.e. quad exhaust, but it be awesome if they kept it!) I did see a little tc in the first picture, but i looked at it a little longer and the notion went away. I also felt better when i saw the front end close up. I really really want to see what the sedan will look like! And number for the v6 and four cylinder are being awaited with much anticipation. Ofcourse in typical new honda fashion, this car is going to be subject to extreme scrutinization and a ton of people will buy it anyway and enjoy it for the great car that its going to be, despite how many people post "i think its ugly".
The front end looks Audi-ish. If Audi didn't do the huge grille thing, I imagine this is what they'd have looked like. It's very pleasant. That grille comes straight off the Ridgeline. I don't like the rear end though. It's nice a flowing up front, but blocky in the back.
XXXL "Honda" TT for me
trjnflip, yes it will have an even higher powered V6 that I hear is a " all new design" but Im not sure how true that is. Torque steer probably wont be a major issue as the current is pretty much unoticable in normal driving, only when you mash the gas in mid corner do you feel it and its still not that bad, it could use the TL's limited slip. I currently own a 2003 Acura CL- Type S 6MT so I know what Im talking about.
The current late 90's based J series SOHC VTEC (VTEC is only on the intake valves sadly ) V6 is no slouch especially when equipped with the 6 speed manual. From what Dave Marek said this should be the benchmark for the FWD V6 powered midsize sporty coupe when it arrives.
If Acura would make the FWD Accord based TL RWD then Honda could very easily take the most sporting Accord to current TL/TL Type-S performace levels which is quite high given that its FWD. Hello HONDA/ACURA!
LP
what this?! an attractive accord?! finally...
Attractive? I suppose. The front end seems to be a mashing of a *gasp* a Sonata's eye brows, a tc/camry grille with a hint of the new Altima T shape. I don't know, it just doesn't seem very original in looks as opposed to the new Malibu but I guess it has always been the value proposition that scored for Honda.
The design isnt that bad but if they took off the Honda badge I wouldnt know what it was. Where is the brand recogition?
The roof profile reminds me of 911. The rear is a bit muddled in design and I can't help but feel the Nissan Skyline vibe radiating from it.
Overall, it's striking, as a Honda, but it's STILL just a concept and there is STILL time to water it down for production. Honda has no historic styling theme to draw from so to me, it looks like a hybrid of EuroJapa design. Nothing old but certaintly nothing new either.
I see the next design copycat theme will the canted-foward taillight look ala Pontiac G6.
drjames - I see what you mean, but I'm going to have to disagree with you. I hardly think the automotive world drew its inspiration from the Toyota Solara with its un-born fetus styling. Critics never warmed to it and always used terms like weird looking to describe it. As a car designer, would you start with that?
I certainly hope that they put a manu-matic in this car. I don't know why everybody else gets riped a new one if they forget the manu-shift and Honda has gottan a pass for years but come on Honda, just give a guy that likes to shift but isn't trying to shift 1,000 plus times in Boston traffic a break here. Almost every other car in the segment save for the Ford Fusion (which has received many latches for the omission in the press) has this feature i.e. Camry, Passat, Sonata, Altima, Impala, Mazda6, Legacy, Aura, G6, etc. Again I don't know why Honda has gotten a free ride on not having it but I wish they put it in there so this can move near the top of my shopping list.
i dont like honda. but this is one good looking car!!!
The look of this one is much better than the ugly current one..Still the design is dated. Like many other comments, I see this shape every where: tC, G6, Sontana, Audi. It is nothing like the 92 Prelude and NXS that took my heart away!
The nose reminds me of barbara streisand . Honda should hire some designers from CA design school or Steal 928 shape and make it a little more anglular and add a short butt.
Just get a very good LSD and it will be fine. Power through the corners!
or SH-AWD as an option?
Americanize it! more chrome..... then I will buy one with wide grin.
Chrome is horrible! Besides, its just shiny plastic!
Looks like a G6 with a big ol' schnozzzzz. Make that a huge schnozzzola.
Agree with 1487, it does seem to have a rather long front overhang. I guess the ACE structure might have something to do with that. Hondacura4, stylistically, the 'brand recognition' you're looking for can be found in that BMW-esque sharp crease below the waistline. Look at the new CR-V for what I mean.
Frank908, don't you mean the copy-cat forward canted taillamp from the Solara, then G6, then Altima?Overall, I like the shape's strong resemblance to the Ferrari 456GT. More classy looking than 'current fad'. Would love to see the interior though.
First, let me say that this redesign is much better than the last one, which was truly uninspiring. Now I'd like to point out that I think Honda is making a mistake by emphasizing the 2-door coupe. With the slow down in the economy and the looming problems in the housing arena, people will keep their cars longer... and thus want to buy a sedan/family car. A sporty, flashy sedan/family car, but definately 4 door. Both Jaguar and Porshe are exploring 4 door coupes... Honda take a hint.Since they're pusing the coupe, it's a pity that they are showcasing a silver car. IMO, silver and gold/tan cars are bought by very conservative drivers. They should have gone for a more exciting color.
Hmm, so it's a "more style-conscious" Accord? Weren't they saying that before the last-gen coupe came out as well? In fact, don't they say that about every new Honda?
To me, it looks like a mishmash of Tiburon greenhouse, Mercedes CL fender bulges and character line, Hyundai-ish headlights, and a Ridgeline-esque grille and front facia. The rear is just about the only distinctive/unique aspect, although in 3/4 view it reminds me of the Remix concept a little bit, and the butt is sized to Solara convertable proportions. I also expected them to hide the FWD layout a little better. I know there's only so much you can do, but the overhangs seem excessive.
So, it's really pretty bland and unoriginal on the whole, just like Hondas have almost always been (and don't forget, this is the concept version!)
At least the V6 will be wicked awesome, and the resale value! : )
Yet again, Honda does it right. As with previous generations, Honda moves forward while providing what will certainly be a great car. With the right upgrades in powertrain, interior, and available models, Honda will be able to offer an even more capable vehicle to everyone in each price segment.
essumma, are you a Honda employee? The interior of the pictured silver concept isn't available for viewing and Edmund's doesn't describe it.
You have managed to be quite complimentary (which is nice) but you really don't say anything at all (which is lame) about what works/doesn't work for you.
I think you people just want to hear yourselves talk. Maybe if you complain enough, it'll make you sound like you know a thing or two. I guess that's what it is, but no matter what Honda does, you'll just complain about it.
Now, I must admit, there have been some scary designs to come out the Honda camp of recent. But let's be fair, the new Civic came though on the more aggressive styling, and this Accord coupe concept is 10 times better looking than the current one. Why is it that some of you have come up with the lamest a** things to complain about with this concept? So what it looks like an Audi... be glad it doesn't look like a Buick anymore. I guess some things never change.
I don't understand why everyone says the current coupe looks so bad. I've always thought it looked sleek, clean and relatively distinctive. The sedan does look like a buick in the back, but it's still better than the dumbo ear taillights on the last-gen Camry, or the dumbo schnoz on the current Camry.
Seems to me, ballerdc, that no matter what Honda does people will say it's the best thing ever (just look two comments above you), so I guess it just depends on how you look at it.
I don't know what to think about this. The front definitely brings to mind a Scion tC or maybe some Volvo elements. I'm not sure that those are good things for an Accord. In fact, I'm pretty sure I don't really like it....at least for now. (admittedly, I hated the Civic at first, but it has grown on me). The rear is moderately interesting, but since this is the coupe, not the sedan, it's really hard to say anything of any particular significance (yes, I'm saying that the coupe isn't really that important). I guess I have to wait to see it. If nothing else, it has to be better than the current model.
Finally a Honda worth getting a little exited for, excluding the S2000. I’m still trying to grasp the fact that the next accord might look like this. Honda actually made something sporty looking, other than the way overdue S2000.
They posted more pics on their website:
http://automobiles.honda.com/future-cars/index.asp?ModelStart=accord+coupe+concept